Session Descriptions

Now more than ever, it's time to re-vision the economy to include what arises out of our human potential. What are the exchanges that bring value to our shared lives and our communities? What is the legacy we've inherited, and will leave behind? How do we integrate our ancestors into our lives, nature, and the cosmos? In this keynote, Orland Bishop explores these questions—and others—from the standpoint of the practical resources in our daily lives.

Creating Movements for Social Justice Requires a Focus on Donors, Not On Donations Kim Klein

As the world moves more and more toward an unprecedented concentration of wealth at one end of the spectrum and an unconscionable concentration of poverty at the other, how we raise money and from whom helps determine the outcome of what we raise the money to do. In this session, learn why building a broad base of individual donors is the best way to move your mission forward, and how to feel comfortable with the process of asking.

Explore the complex and intertwined relationships we have with "money". Vijaya Nagarajan poses questions from a Hindu understanding--of the imagination of money as shaped by our multiple desires, our stages of life, our current and future obligations and commitments, as well as our many gifts and challenges. How do we keep a constant awareness of the implicit gift economy that surrounds all of us and in fact, sustains all of us, along with the very visible presence of the cash economy?

How do educators and service-oriented professionals continue to serve our communities in the face of gentrification and displacement? Join this session for a discussion about how to stay committed to one's vocation and engaged with their community while surviving and thriving in the current economic climate.

Movement is our guide in this exploration of the energy surrounding money. Money-thin printed paper-holds a lot of energy for many of us and can easily trigger feelings of fear, greed, envy, shame, and/or joy. Examine how much energy and emotion we attribute to money within the context of how much vital energy we access and cultivate in our bodies. Scarcity may come up in both areas. If we feel like we don't have enough money, we're constantly coming from a place of lacking and/or wanting. If we feel like we don't have enough energy in our body, we're tired and drained. Through movement, tap into an energy source greater than ourselves which can enable us to shift scarcity into enough.

Donating your money, in any amount, to a local non-profit organization is a way to look beyond yourself and invest in your community. The "return" on your investment, however, is not motivated by profit. Rather, it can be measured by the connection and contentment you feel about the place where you live. In this session, learn about the growing trend in local giving circles and how to harness the generosity of individuals to begin one where you live through the story of how one woman's participation changed her view of philanthropy and the small town she now calls home.

In this session, engage in self-reflection and the discovery of your relationships with money. This interactive process may make you feel a bit vulnerable in an effort to be fully authentic and deepen your connections. Gain insights into your personal stories about money and how these stories have shaped who you are and how you move about the world. Finally, collectively celebrate with the group whether we are wealthy, not so wealthy or somewhere in the middle.

If we believe that earth health is inextricably tied to human health, how do our financial and other resources promote well-being? This session discusses healthy living and what it means to live comfortably and creatively with enough to help lift the lives of others. What have we have learned about women and money from our families, our communities, and our schooling? How have these proved useful (or not) in our lives? What do our different cultures teach us about money, interconnectedness, and obligation? How do our contemporary lives impact our cultures? You are invited to come together to share, talk story, instigate, and incubate new understandings and friendships.

Exploring our emotional and psychological relationship with money can bring light into the dark areas of money, both in our psyches and in our culture. How do we lighten money's hold so that the fear and pain surrounding money no longer keeps us from living fully?

Moving from Fragmentation to Wholeness: An Integrated Approach to MoneyDeb Nelson

The way we've been socialized to think about money, and the assumptions that are made about women and money, have not served us well. These times are calling for a new paradigm and an integrated approach to money. Join Deb for an interactive session that includes exploring our relationship to money and finding ways to align our money with our values and support our collective well-being.